Internal wars · 656

Battle of the Camel (Jamal)

The first battle between Muslim armies, named after the camel Aisha rode. Talha and Zubayr were killed, and Aisha was escorted back to Madinah with honour.

The site of the battle on the 661 map. Shaded: Added under Uthman and Ali, 644 to 661, Rashidun Caliphate, 644.

Key facts

When: 656
Where: Near Basra, Iraq
Sides: Caliph Ali vs Aisha, Talha and Zubayr
Commanders: Ali ibn Abi Talib vs Talha and Zubayr
Result: Victory for Ali
Type: Internal wars
Chapter: 1. The Rightly Guided Caliphs

Who led it

Ali ibn Abi Talibc. 600 to 661
The Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, famous for his courage at Khaybar and for his learning.

The wider picture: Uthman, Ali and the first civil war

Under Uthman the frontier reached Khurasan in the east and Libya in the west, and the first Muslim navy beat the Byzantine fleet in 654. Anger at provincial governors ended in Uthman's killing at his home in Madinah in 656. Ali moved the capital to Kufa and spent his caliphate fighting rival Muslim armies.

See the 661 map Read chapter 1

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